Campaign gift going to charity

Chocola won't return Cunningham's $6,000 donation.

Chocola won't return Cunningham's $6,000 donation.

December 03, 2005|JAMES WENSITS Tribune Political Writer

U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, R-2nd, says he'll donate an amount equal to the $6,000 in campaign contributions he received from former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham to charity, a Chocola spokesman said Friday. Cunningham, R-Calif., resigned from Congress earlier this week. According to The Washington Post, the resignation came after Cunningham tearfully confessed to tax evasion and to conspiring to pocket $2.4 million in bribes that included a Rolls Royce car, a yacht and a 19th-century commode. The New York Times reported that the bribes were mostly from defense contractors in exchange for government business and other favors. The opportunity for comment wasn't lost on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. DCCC spokesman Bill Burton, in a statement issued Thursday, asked: "Now that Duke Cunningham pleaded guilty and resigned from Congress, why won't Indiana Republicans return Congressman Cunningham's tainted cash?" National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ed Patru responded, saying the DCCC request "continues their unending ethics hypocrisy." Citing Federal Election Commission reports, Patru said former North Carolina Democrat Rep. Frank Ballance Jr., a convicted felon, donated $29,500 to the DCCC during the 2004 election cycle. During that same election cycle, Patru said, the DCCC also accepted $5,000 in contributions from a "crooked Chicago attorney." According to the Washington Post, Ballance resigned his congressional seat in 2004, later pleading guilty to a federal conspiracy charge related to mishandling of money by his charitable foundation. Patru estimated that Cunningham's political contributions totaled about $250,000 and were made during a six-year period that began in 2000. Chocola spokesman Brooks Kochvar said Chocola received a $5,000 campaign contribution from Cunningham in 2002 and a $1,000 contribution in 2003. A $1,000 contribution has already been given to the South Bend Center for the Homeless, Kochvar said Friday. Donations totaling $5,000 will be given shortly to the We Care organization in Kokomo and to the Women's Care Center in South Bend, according to Kochvar, who didn't specify how those donations will be split. Asked what prompted the decision to donate the money to charity, Kochvar said Chocola "just felt it was the appropriate thing to do." "Duke Cunningham's actions are unacceptable," Kochvar said on Chocola's behalf. "By donating an amount equal to the contributions we received three years ago for a prior election, hopefully some good can come out of this." Kochvar said Chocola felt it was inappropriate to return the money to Cunningham. Patru, though not speaking for Chocola, said some Republican congressional members feel it would be inappropriate to use money given by current election cycle contributors for a purpose not intended -- repaying money given during past election cycles. Chocola, asked about Cunningham during an interview earlier this week, said he believes Cunningham to be "very much the exception" in Congress. "I do think you have to be looking for trouble to get into a predicament like that," Chocola said. Chocola also recalled that Cunningham was a "No. 1 ace" as a fighter pilot in Vietnam. "To go from a true war hero to what he did is a tragedy," Chocola stated. "He's going to pay the price for what he did."